For the Truth, Change and Choices
by elusiveangel35
Summary: The war should have ended and they should have been living their lives happily. But just after the war with Gaia they were thrust into another one and this time, they were not so lucky. A strange girl has approached them and said that there is a way to change everything. Read the books with the past Olympians and change their future for the better. Arc 1: Book 1 WIP
1. Prologue

Summary: It was not supposed to end like this. The war should have ended and they should have been living their lives happily. But just after the war with Gaia they were thrust into another one and this time, they were not so lucky. A strange girl has approached them and said that there is a way to change everything. Read the books with the Olympians of ten years into the past and hope with all their hearts that the change they wish for will soon begin.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the books. They belong to Rick Riordan. I do own my characters and the way that I will direct this story towards to.

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Prologue:  
In the Beginning

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Why did this happen?

They thought that after finishing the battle with Gaia they can just concentrate on fixing their own camps and fix the relations between the Romans and Greeks. They were already tired... tired from losing so many loved ones and having to fight one war after another. They already had faced enough of them for three lifetimes.

But of course, life was never fair for half-bloods.

Just after they fulfilled the prophecy and stopped Gaia from rising, they were suddenly thrust into another battle against another very old enemy.

Uranus

Apparently, he had been lying low after all these years and waited for the very moment both sides were weak and recovering from different battles. They didn't expect it at all. He suddenly charged both camps with vengeance and left both sides wounded and low. They just lost so many... just when things were beginning to look better, the Fates suddenly dealt them another problem to solve.

Now, they were gathered in one room holding a meeting, trying to come up with plans to try and defeat Uranus. The gods were also busy with fighting their own battles so the half-bloods has to at least do something too. But their numbers were running low due to the suspiciously large amount of warriors from the other side and there was that one more thing...

"We seriously need to gather information on His main assassin. That bastard is the very reason why we were mostly dealt with such large damage." Chris sighed wearily. His lover, Clarisse was downed in a battle against said assassin just a month ago.

"But He keeps that person near to Him always and He only sends Death out when it's needed." Jason frowned as he leaned back on the wall while Annabeth massaged her temples tiredly.

Death... that was the suitable title that their dear old great grandfather called his weapon. Death appears many times to strike down the important members of the war and most of the time Death cripples them with each strike. There were only the moments when Death came up to fight against Percy and the other more powerful half-bloods that Death got away wounded.

"If only... if only we could just change these all..." Leo brokenly said while the others in the room looked down in great sadness and yearning.

If only... they had the chance to change the gods before everything had to spiral down to this... Yes, they began to slowly change after Percy made the request after the Titan's war but it was not enough because even then they already lost so much of the people they loved. Luke, the countless half-bloods, Ethan, Clarisse, Selena and more...

"Perhaps it is not too late to do so." Everyone had their weapons out in a flash and they were in a battle ready position as they pointed it towards the person who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

There in the back of the room was a little girl with very long blond hair framing her heart shaped face and a pair of sapphire blue eyes smiling sadly at all of them. She was wearing a simple white dress that reached above her knees. In her arms she was holding a bunch of books.

"Who are you? How did you get in here without us knowing?" Rena asked with a hard voice. Appearances are very deceiving especially in the world that they live in.

"You can all call me Claire and as for how I got in here without any of you knowing I suppose you can all say I am... unique." Claire's eyes gleamed with secret, something that made them wary. "But I can assure all of you that I mean no harm in fact I meant the opposite."

They all stared at the girl with suspicion for a few minutes but the girl named Claire just stood there meeting their gaze with a steady look in those blue eyes filled with determination and wisdom beyond the age that she looked like. After a few more minutes of tension they finally allowed their weapons to lower down but they still kept it in their hands just in case the girl was truly a threat.

"Why are you here?" Annabeth carefully asked.

Claire just walked forward and placed the books in the table silently.

"These was not supposed to have happened. The war with Uranus should not have become this tragic. In fact, we were supposed to have fixed the ancient rules and relations with both Greeks and Romans but as you can see it did not happen like that." Her eyes hardened. "I'm not just doing these for you guys but I'm also doing it for a precious friend of mine. I want to change this. I want to change everything."

It only took them all a second to realize what the girl was saying.

"Are you suggesting time travel?" Grover's eyes widened. "But that's forbidden! Not only will you have the gods against you but also the Fates for even suggesting that!"

"It is only forbidden if I did not have the permission of the Fates and Apollo." Claire smoothly said. "And I have both their supports for this. The Fates have declared that if things continued the way it was in the past then this will keep on happening instead of the Golden Age and soon enough this world and the other times will be trapped in an endless bloody age. Apollo merely stated that it need not end up like this and so he and the Muses thought up of these books."

She gestured towards the books in the table. Thalia picked it up and gave the blank books a puzzled look.

"But they are all blank. Even the titles are blank." Thalia said while Claire just gave her a smile.

"They will stay blank unless read in the chronological order. These books are written based on all of your memories. The chapters are written in certain viewpoints and according to the people who were mostly involved in the important points of the past years. However, the first few books which will deal with the Titan War will be written in Percy's point of view while the others will be a mix of many of you." Claire explained before she paused. "But for now, you guys are not going to be reading these books. They will be read by the gods and goddesses of the past. When we do send some of you back I am afraid that I cannot send everyone since this will strain not only the timeline but a world can only take so much paradox so I believe that I might send the Big Three's kids, Annabeth and Jason. But it might change. It really depends on the Fates and Apollo."

The people in the room mulled over the information before Thalia asked her something.

"But how will you get this book back in the past? For that matter, how will you even get the gods and goddesses to read them?" Thalia asked the girl who grinned wickedly.

"The moment I state in the letter that the Fates have given us this permission then we will have their attention." Her grin slightly faltered. "One more thing, while you guys are not to read with them right now, one by one you will appear in the reading. There will be someone, the first one to appear before all of you, who will be reading along with everyone. But she'll most likely be someone you do not know. She is important to the future so no matter what you guys learn about her, make sure to reserve judgement until the right time."

By now, everyone was looking at the sadly smiling girl with intrigue. They wondered who this person was and how she was connected to Claire. But by the looks of it, they were not going to get any answers from the girl in front of them.

"You will understand everything by the end of these books. Hopefully, the gods will change this time and hopefully..." Claire's eyes gained a wistful look. "This time it won't happen... none of what happened would happen."

"Claire... who are you?" Nico hesitantly asked while Claire just smiled sadly.

"I was someone that was not supposed to exist. Someone who was supposed to be gone by now." Claire softly said before she looked at the books and waved her hand as the books and everyone began to glow. "I will send all of you now. Although it may seem like you just appeared a second after this, remember that you will be entering at different times."

As the light began to blind them they heard Claire's last words to them.

"I wish all of you the best of luck. For all our sakes, please... change everything. We, the Fates, I and Apollo, are leaving these in your hands." Claire whispered.

Finally... the changes have begun.

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It was the year 2001 and the gods and goddesses of Olympus are having their meeting in the throne room. As usual, there were the normal nderstan between the three brothers, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon while the others were watching on with exasperation and boredom as they have their own conversations with each other. However, there was that underlying tension and bitterness between the brothers since it has been only a few weeks after the day Thalia was turned into a tree after she and her friends just appeared in the camp and Hades sent his monsters to kill her.

It was a miracle that Zeus did not declare war on the god of the Underworld. While Poseidon was also worrying about the reaction his brothers would have, especially Hades, once they hear about Percy's existence.

Just as the tension rose higher a bright light covered the whole room and each and every god took on a defensive stance in case of an attack. Once the light dimmed down, they tensed before looking in shock at the figure on the floor.

"Wait... are intruders supposed to be unconscious?" Demeter asked the others while Apollo was looking at the prone figure with an uncharacteristic frown on his lips, something his twin sister noticed and it worried her.

"What is the meaning of this—" Zeus was cut off by a paper that appeared in a flash of light in front of him and floated in front of his face. He grabbed it and began to read the letter out loud.

_Greetings to the gods and goddesses of Olympus,_

_As you can see, the girl who arrived along with a bundle is unconscious. That girl is not a threat to you or to Olympus. She does not wish to seek you any harm or intend to cause any problem for all of you. However, if there is one information you do need to know about her, it is the fact that she belongs to the future and is of great importance to it as with her death everything you care about shall be destroyed. That is why you cannot cause her any harm._

_But if my timing is right then there is the possibility that she may have arrived there in your time filled with wounds._

The moment Zeus read this, Apollo surged forward and brought out a lot of ambrosia and shoved it down the girl's throat. His eyes were narrowed in concentration and seriousness, something that shocked his fellow gods since he was normally a happy go lucky god. He looked at his father with a serious look.

"Father, if my vision is correct then the letter speaks the truth. She is highly important to the future even if the vision was slightly fuzzy. She cannot die here. Not when she still has to do something. However, she needs medical attention because the wounds that she has..." Apollo's eyes are grim. "Her will is the only thing that is keeping her alive."

The gods' eyes widened in understanding and Zeus gave Apollo a curt nod. Apollo flashed out of the throne room with the girl leaving only the stacks of what seems to be books on the floor. Zeus continued on reading the letter and the others listened even more intently.

_As you have all probably predicted, I am planning on changing time. Before any of you can explode on me, the Fates have given me permission to do this. They have seen that if you continue the way you are then nothing good will come out of it._

_The future is very grim. So many old enemies have risen at such short time periods. The halfbloods are exhausted and so many deaths have I. I can sense that every halfblood's wills are going down. While you are also beginning to wear down. Three wars in a row is a very tiresome thing to face. That is why I and the others are sending these books back to all of you to read._

_By reading these books, you will slowly come to realize your own mistakes and hopefully you can all remedy it. Unless you wish for your time to continue on to a grim and bloody age then I suggest that you will all at least give this reading a chance._

_People will be joining you all bit by bit as time passes. You will come to know more about the girl who just ndersta. But if I am right then most likely she will be unconscious for the first few chapters. Especially if Apollo has her on a bed arrest._

_The book that you will first read will be the one who has the words and title to appear. You can't skip ahead of the books since all you will see is a blank page. Everything will appear once you finish each and every chapter in order so I suggest you all get started in reading now. It's going to be a very long reading for everyone._

_Sincerely,_

_Claire_

The moment Zeus was finished readin the letter Apollo entered the room with his clothes all bloodied up as if he just murdered someone.

"Don't tell me you were so stupid to have killed the girl!" Artemis spitefully said before jerking back in surprise when Apollo sent her a lethal look.

"Don't be stupid." Apollo growled. His eyes uncharacteristically flashing in anger. "I am the god of Medicine. Don't even joke about that. The girl nearly died as I was healing her since most of the wounds placed on her were done by... someone of our own powers."

The whole room froze at the implication.

"But I don't think it was from anyone in this room. I would have sensed any of your powers in her wounds if it were any of you. No, it was from someone else outside our group. I have healed most of the ones that could kill her but it will take me some time to take away the damage from her throat as well as her legs. For now, she will need a wheelchair and probably some way to communicate other than speaking." Apollo said in a voice that doctors have whenever they listed off injuries and what needs to be done. "Aside from that she will survive."

Zeus nodded in nderstanding while Athena stepped forward towards the book and took the first one on top. She read out the title.

**Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief**

Zeus face turned stormy (pardon the pun) as storm brewed outside.

"Somebody stole my Lightning Rod?" Zeus growled.

"It seems like it. I suppose we will have to read the book to find out." Hades commented.

Poseidon paled when he heard the title. It can't be his son can it?

'But then again... there could only be one person in this whole world who can called Percy Jackson and is a halfblood.' Poseidon squashed the stupid voice in his mind.

"I suppose I will be reading first." Athena said as she settled back on her own throne along with her fellow gods and goddesses and began to read the very first chapter of the journey they will be reading about.

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Finished: June 17, 2013

Word count: 2, 840

R&R


	2. 001 Book 1: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson series and stuff. I only own my own character and how I will play with Rick Riordan's story.

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001.

Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

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**I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher**

"What a wonderful way to start a book." Hades drawled with boredom tinting his voice as he snuggled (although he will deny it vehemently if you said that he did) with Persephone.

"I wonder how you accidentally vaporize your teacher." Hermes grinned.

"Perhaps, it's a monster?" Athena raised an eyebrow at her siblings.

**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

"Why not? It's full of incredible battles for honor and fame." Ares stared at the book as if it was insane.

"And they have an awesome family!" Apollo grinned widely.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"Why does it look like it's addressed towards the mortals?" Zeus raised an eyebrow.

"Because brother, it might be better for them to think that it is addressed to mortals rather than to the ones that are more powerful and knows everything that has happened. It would be like a blank slate and it would help them write their opinions and views easily than when they think that it is for us." Hestia softly said while Zeus inclined his head towards his elder sister respectfully.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. **

"Wimp." Ares snorted while Artemis gave him a glare.

"Be a little bit respectful you idiot! These half-bloods are the ones risking their lives each and every day trying to survive as they complete tasks that we ask them to do." Artemis growled. "The least we could do is at least respect that."

The other gods visibly saddened at that thought. Though their children may not notice, they truly loved them and wished for them a better life than one that has a daily occurrence of life risking events. The least they could do was at least send them subtle help since the ancient rules have declared that they should never contact their children or directly involve themselves with them.

**Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

"Indeed." Hades softly said. He had lost count of the amount of half-bloods who entered his domain and had not even passed their teens.

Persephone squeezed his hand comfortingly. Although she might not like the fact that her husband had affairs with different women even she could see that he truly loved them and every child that he has. She remembered that moment when she had to comfort the lord of the Underworld when he lost so many of his children at the time World War II happened. His children assured him that they do not blame him but she could still sometimes hear her husband whispering and groaning in his sleep about his regrets and bitterness towards his brothers.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

"Ignorance might be bliss to most but it's also what caused so many loss to others." Athena wisely said.

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"Unfortunately, I don't think that would work very long especially if you're a pretty powerful half-blood." Hephaestus mused while his hands were busy tinkering with one of his smaller inventions.

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"You didn't warn us." Apollo, Hermes and Ares said in a singsong voice while grinning widely.

The others just either snorted in amusement or shook their heads at the immaturity of the three.

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

"Hi Percy!" Hermes waved childishly.

"So nice to meet you today!" Apollo snickered.

Poseidon gripped the handle of this seat. Although on the outside he may seem nonchalant and bored of the reading, inside he was a mess of emotions and thoughts. He was worried that this was his son, anxious about the reactions of his brothers, curious to know what was going to happen to his currently baby boy and alarmed to know that these books were going to be in his son's point of view.

'You are over thinking this Poseidon.' Poseidon scolded himself. 'Just because he's the main character of these books doesn't mean that he'll be the one to fulfill that old prophecy.'

But he still can't help but think that perhaps this is the reason why it was written in the point of view of his son. Because he will be at the middle of all these problems and trials that will be happening in a few years.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

"Troubled kids?" Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "All you half-bloods are troubled kids."

"Dionysus!" Demeter gave the wine god a shocked look.

"What? It's true! Those brats are troubled brats. And don't you deny it." Dionysus smirked when he saw the reluctant agreement in Demeter's eyes.

**Am I a troubled kid?**

"Yes." Hermes seriously said. "Nobody in this family is not messed up."

"Is that an implication, son?" Zeus stared at Hermes who his grin.

"Of course not, why would I be implying something." Hermes innocently smiled while the others snorted.

Poseidon and Hades smirked.

"Why? Were you struck by how true those words were… I don't know… when you apply it to yourself?" Poseidon grinned in mischief while Hades snorted.

Zeus sniffed indignantly. This was the reason why he hated it when he had to spend time with his brothers. They just can't spend time together without bickering, bantering, insulting and teasing each other.

**Yeah. You could say that.**

"Even he agrees!" Hermes smirked while Athena rolled her eyes at him.

"Nobody disagreed with you." Athena deadpanned.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan—twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"That sounds very interesting." Athena interrupted herself with a smile while Poseidon snorted.

"Pretty much sounds like torture to me." Poseidon said while the Hermes, Ares and Apollo nodded in agreement.

"Anything that involves mental processes is torture to you." Athena sniped while Poseidon scowled at his niece.

"BURN!" Ares snickered before he was blasted by sea water.

**I know—it sounds like torture. **

"He thinks like you Uncle P!" Apollo grinned while Poseidon shrugged but he was mentally grinning with pride.

**Most Yancy field trips were.**

**But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a flayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he also told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

"That sounds like someone we know…" Zeus frowned thoughtfully.

"Chiron, that's the old horse." Dionysus stated with a bored expression while he was browsing his own magazine. The others stared at him in surprise because he was listening. When he felt the stares, he looked over his magazine and snapped. "What? I do listen sometimes."

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

Everyone in the room snorted incredulously.

"Famous last words kiddo." Hermes muttered.

**Boy, was I wrong.**

Poseidon panicked inside his mind at those words. It wasn't that bad was it?

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.**

Everyone in the room burst into laughter at that. Even Hades and Athena chuckled at the information.

"Wow, he really has the worst luck does he?" Zeus chuckled.

"At least none of it involved him being hurt." Hera said with a relieved look on her face. She noticed that everyone in the room was silent and staring at her in wonder. "What?"

"Nothing…" nearly everyone murmured.

But Hera knew why they suddenly fell silent. She knew that they believed she hated the half-bloods. But to be honest, It's just more on the fact that she was bitter. The children that her husband has outside of wedlock mostly tells her that she wasn't enough to satisfy him and no wife would want that thought. It made her feel insecure, unwanted. So who wouldn't be bitter at that?

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

"I doubt it." Hades smirked. "Anytime our family is determined to be good it always backfire."

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, **

Everyone stared at Hermes who frowned at all of them.

"What? So every kleptomaniac child in this world is mine?" Hermes snapped back.

**hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

Zeus eyes turned stormy.

"You gave that satyr a second chance?" Zeus thundered.

Dionysus frowned as he stared at his father.

"I gave him another chance because he was able to bring back two other half-bloods back into camp, Father." Dionysus emotionlessly said.

Zeus scowled and was about to snap back when Hestia placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a comforting look.

"Brother, my nephew is right. Perhaps the wound is still raw but remember that this is in the future." Hestia softly said while Zeus tensed a bit before sighing wearily and placed his face on his hands, still mourning his child. "Continue reading, Athena."

Athena did so after sending her father a worried look.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death **

"Death?" Poseidon tensed while his two brothers stared at him with suspicion.

**by in-school suspension**

Poseidon relaxed at those words while his two brothers stared at him with even more suspicion.

"Why are you so worried about this child, little brother?" Hades raised an eyebrow as his eyes darkened.

Poseidon shrugged nonchalantly while inside he was cursing himself for slipping at that. Now his older brother (whom he must say knows him quite well) is figuring out why the child worries him too much. He dreads the reaction of these two once they found out about his baby and his beloved Sally.

**if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"**I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.**

"Do it!" Ares grinned with a bloodthirsty look.

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"On your hair?" Demeter raised an eyebrow. "That girl really needs some cereal."

Hades groaned at what Demeter said.

"Enough with the cereal woman." Hades murmured to Persephone who giggled at what he said. However his gaze was still trained on his younger brother's worried feature. He has some idea as to why but he won't say anything until he was sure.

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.**

"**That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

"**You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."**

"It seems that this satyr really cares for this child as his friend." Hestia softly told Poseidon who tensed a bit.

"Why are you telling me this, sister?" Poseidon asked Hestia who looked at him with an amused glint in her eyes.

"I deal with everything that is connected to the heart, little brother. Of course I would know who is family and such." Her eyes glinted with mischief. "And I am your eldest sister. I always keep an eye on all of you so that none of you would get into trouble."

Poseidon slightly flushed in embarrassment and he grinned at her sheepishly. But he was relieved that his favorite sister did not care. Then again, there is a reason why Hestia is his favorite sibling and unknown to most, Hades is his favorite brother. He would fiercely deny that of course.

Now… he only need to worry about his brother's reactions once they found out…

Oh who was he kidding? Those two would be furious… especially Hades. Ironic, isn't it that the least most likely to seem to break the Oath is the one who did not break it even once these past years.

**Looking back to it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

"Ooh~ things are becoming interesting." Hermes smirked while Hestia looked at Poseidon with worry as she felt him hyperventilating inside his head.

'Judging his luck, his son most probably inherited the double edged luck that his children and himself mostly has.' Hestia mused mentally as she patted the sea god's shoulder. 'It seems that he'll be suffering various heart attacks in this reading.'

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statue and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

**It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Actually, it's older than that." Aphrodite commented while the others stared at her in surprise. "I at least know that much, you know?"

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-stall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. **

Hades looked intrigued at that while his wife just looked at him with fond exasperation. Although, Demeter did give him an evil eye.

**He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

'Dodds? Why does that sound familiar?' Hades wondered.

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had to come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.**

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger and me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

Hades eyes widened. He knows someone who loves stating those words… and judging by Persephone's surprised look, she also knew who it is too.

'Great… just great. If it is my barnacle beard of a brother's spawn then he would most likely be holding a grudge at me for that and if it wasn't everyone will be glaring at me and wondering why I would be attacking an innocent brat. Wonderful.' Hades sarcastically thought.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, **

"Now that is torture." Athena muttered too low for anyone to hear.

**I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

The Council groaned.

"He's practically revealing our world to the boy." Hera complained.

"Grover…" Dionysus sighed with exasperation.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

**Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"**

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

"It always do." Apollo and Hermes groaned.

The Council snorted as they remembered the times that happened to the terrible duo. Most of the times when they are complaining about how boring Zeus was, how Hera was so annoying and mostly insults and complaints about their family.

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

"**Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."**

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

Kronos' children, except for Zeus, groaned in disgust.

"Of all the things that he had to question about it had to be that one?" Demeter gritted out.

"It's not that bad was it?" Zeus commented before he froze when his siblings pinned him with a glare.

"Do you know how annoying it was to hear Demeter complaining about how disgusting Father's insides are?" Hades demanded. "And how many times I had to stop the others from teasing Poseidon too much just because he was the youngest before you came along?"

"I never did thank you for that…" Poseidon commented.

"And how disgusting it was whenever Father decided to eat something and we had to dodge them because we really don't want to wear whatever is left of his food?" Hera complained.

"The point is-" Hestia started.

"Don't," Hera continued.

"Talk," Poseidon growled.

"About," Demeter said.

"Something," Hades said.

"That you will never understand." The five finished in unison while the others in the Council stared at them in shock.

Zeus can't help but feel jealous of his other siblings sometimes. At least they were together when they were growing up while he spent his whole childhood training and preparing for the time he would help them out alone. It does get pretty lonely when your mother really can't visit you too often because your bastard of a father would get too suspicious and you're all alone despite the information that you have siblings.

"**Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because…"**

"**Well…" I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"**

"God?" Zeus raised an eyebrow while ignoring the glares coming from his siblings.

"Chiron would probably correct him, Father." Athena said.

"**God?" Mr. Brunner asked.**

"**Titan," I corrected myself. "And…he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"**

"Something that I don't understand is how somebody could mistake a child for a rock." Ares asked. "Even I know the difference of how they look."

"Probably because your Dad looks like a rock." Poseidon and Hades snickered while the others, except for Zeus who did not look impressed, laughed. Even Hera couldn't stop the giggles that came from her.

"I do NOT look like a rock." Zeus glared at his older brothers who smirked back at him.

"**Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

"Oh. It's more disgusting than that." Demeter grumbled.

"—**and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."**

"He summarized the whole war that involved deaths, suffering and sacrifices into a few sentences?" Hermes raised an eyebrow.

**Some snickers from the group.**

"Why are they laughing when he got it right?" Aphrodite asked.

"Our story sounds stupid to mortals. That's why they think it's stupid." Persephone sighed.

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"**

"If you are a demigod then you would need to know about that story and a lot more." Hera said.

"Besides, some job applications would probably ask it like jobs that mostly deals with histories, mythologies and researchers of history but other than that it would seem pretty unlikely that it will be asked at a job application." Athena mused.

"**And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted," Hermes said with a smirk.

"**Busted," Grover muttered.**

"You think like a goat boy, bro." Apollo laughed while Hermes threw a rock at him.

"Shut up, sunny boy." Hermes glared.

"**Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even bright red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar-ears.**

"Or horse ears." Ares said with a bored look.

"Satyrs and Centaurs will be running you two through once they hear what you two call them." Artemis shook her head.

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."**

"**I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

"Happy note?" Aphrodite incredulously said.

"I lost my appetite for eating." Poseidon admitted sadly.

"Talking about Father makes me lose my appetite for a few days." Hades grumbled.

"You are NOT going to be starving yourself. You might be a god but you still need to eat." Persephone sternly told her husband who looked away from her. "The last time you did not eat for a few weeks because the Underworld was too busy it took you a whole month to recover."

His siblings looked at him with a wide eyed look. Hades scowled at all of them.

'It's not like they care.' Hades thought with bitterness.

Poseidon and Zeus looked guilty since most of the deaths that would have been caused were mostly because of their own fights. They didn't know that it caused their brother to suffer. They even felt more guilty when Hestia sent them a reprimanding look and Hera gave them a look that told them to apologize and make up for it. Both brothers looked at each other before nodding and deciding to apologize and make up to Hades once they have a break.

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

"When do they not?" Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"I don't always act like a doofus!" Apollo grinned at his sister who stared at him.

"Oh really?" Apollo gave her a hurt look at her disbelief.

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

**I knew that was coming.**

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go—intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

"Foreshadowing~" Hermes said in a singsong voice.

"**You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

"**About the Titans?"**

"**About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

"**Oh."**

"**What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will only accept the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

"Because if he doesn't push you punk then how would you learn to defend yourself?" Ares raised an eyebrow. "He can't baby you or you'll never grow strong enough to stand up on your own knees."

The whole Council was silent in shock as they gaped at Ares who said something wise. Ares huffed at them all and gave them a big glare.

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!" and challenged us, sword-pointing against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. **

"Wow… that's pretty Spartan." Apollo commented. "I know most of them because it is pretty normal to do so but to most who doesn't even know our world that must be pretty hard to remember."

**But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

"Perhaps he means to push you in terms of doing your best." Athena said before continuing.

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

Apollo's eyes saddened. His poor child… she had bravely fought to save and protect the innocent people even at the cost of her own life.

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

"What a wonderful view." Hera sarcastically said.

**Overhead, a huge storm as brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

Zeus eyes darkened with anger as he remembered that someone stole his lightning bolt. That must be the reason why he was so angry at the future. While Poseidon scowled at Zeus knowing that he must have blamed him in some way again.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

"Are you really sure that's not your daughter, brother?" Artemis questioned Hermes who scowled at her.

"Not every pickpocket is my child." Hermes huffed indignantly.

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

'You're not a loser freak, son.' Poseidon sadly thought. 'And you will become someone better than all of those children. I swear it.'

"**Detention?" Grover asked.**

"**Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."**

"Perhaps not in the academics but maybe your talents lie in other fields." Athena said while shrugging.

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

Everyone snorted at that. They can always count on satyrs who would amuse them all.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

Poseidon mentally frowned.

'You should eat, Percy. Apples are good for you even if you don't have an appetite.' Poseidon mentally scolded his son in his mind before wondering if he was becoming crazy if he was scolding someone for doing something in the future.

'That's just concern, brother.' Hestia kindly said to him in his mind. 'You have the right to be worried about your son's health since you are his father.'

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

Ares snorted.

"Momma's boy." Ares sneered while Poseidon stopped himself from blasting his nephew with water.

"I wouldn't say anything Ares." Aphrodite commented with a bored expression as she checked herself on the beautiful mirror lined with rubies and precious gems that Hephaestus made for her. "You still live with your mother."

Everybody snickered at the flabbergasted look the war god has on his face. Although, it did surprise them that Aphrodite said something like that to her lover boy.

Aphrodite was actually beginning to wonder if Ares was the right person for her. These past few months he mostly comes to her when he just wants a lay or to make out and he doesn't even take her out on romantic dates! Recently, she was beginning to notice that Hephaestus had been sending beautiful creations like her mirror to her even when he knew that she was prancing out with Ares.

'I'll just observe how I'm feeling about everything as this reading goes on.' Aphrodite thought to herself.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.**

Hephaestus' eyes gleamed as an idea appeared in his mind. He wondered whether he could make a better one with much more features and greater, controllable speed.

"Oh yeah, Heph! Can you make me a wheelchair to lend our guest? She won't be able to walk for a few more days since I'm still healing her legs." Apollo asked the mechanic who looked surprised before he nodded.

"I'll make her one right now." Hephaestus grunted as he teleported some of his tools into the throne room.

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

"**Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

Hades and Zeus' eyes narrowed into Poseidon who ignored them still.

"Poseidon…" Hades growled threateningly.

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"**

"—**the water—"**

"—**like it grabbed her—"**

"POSEIDON!" Zeus and Hades roared just as a bright light appeared in the room while Apollo suddenly quipped.

"Uncle P, I'll advise you to get ready to catch something." Apollo said with a smile.

The light dimmed down and a small child fell down towards Poseidon who was surprised but was able to catch the child easily. Everyone took in the shaggy black hair and similar features of the sea god when Zeus brought out his Lightning Bolt and was about to strike the sleeping child down, while Poseidon cradled the child and covered him with his body when a huge fire appeared around Poseidon protecting him and his child from Zeus and Hades.

Hestia stepped in front of Poseidon with a calm look but her eyes are bright and fiery even more so than Ares and Hephaestus' fire.

"None of you will strike down anyone." Hestia calmly stated but her eyes showed her disapproval. "Need I remind you Zeus, that you have your daughter Thalia and son Jason Grace? You have no right to strike down Poseidon when you broke the Oath first. And Hades, you know that the letter clearly stated that none of you can kill anyone who is brought into the reading otherwise we will mess up the future even more than what the terrible future is in right now."

"You have another child, Zeus?" Hades growled while his eyes burned in anger. "Am I the only one who did not break the Oath?"

Zeus froze and seemed to have a war inside himself before deciding that it was not worth fighting with his eldest sister. Hestia might not prefer to fight but she is still the eldest daughter of Kronos and most of the power would most likely be in her. Besides, if he did fight Hestia he would most likely bring down the wrath of the other gods and goddesses since Hestia is very well loved by nearly everyone.

"Fine." Zeus reluctantly sat down while Hades resumed having a staring contest with Hestia.

After a while, Hades broke and sat down grumbling and growling while he and Zeus glared at Poseidon who was still cradling his own son. The goddesses took a good look at Percy who cuddled nearer to his father and cooed at the cuteness of the scene. The child's hands were gripping Poseidon's front shirt tightly as if he did not want to let go of his father. Poseidon's eyes and face was soft and loving as he hugged his child to himself protectively.

"He is truly your spawn, barnacle beard." Athena dryly said as she gazed upon the child.

"Thank you Athena." Poseidon said as he gave his niece a raised eyebrow. "I am proud that he is my spawn."

"He's just too cute!" Aphrodite sighed as she smiled down at the slumbering child.

"Just continue reading Athena." Zeus gritted out as he threw his brother a lethal glare along with Hades.

Poseidon mentally thanked Hestia who gave him a gentle smile as she sat near him.

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now honey—"**

"**I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."**

"You do not guess your punishments little cuz!" Hermes exclaimed while Percy briefly stirred at the yell before relaxing.

"You're going to wake him up idiot!" Artemis smacked Hermes at the back of his head.

**That wasn't the right thing to say.**

"**Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

"**Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."**

"They're so loyal to one another." Hera softly said.

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

**She glared at him so hard her whiskery chin trembled.**

"**I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.**

"**But—"**

"**You—will—stay—here."**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

"**It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."**

"**Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."**

"Oh no…" Poseidon murmured. Now that his brothers know about his son he can worry about him openly.

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. **

"It's not that scary." Ares rolled his eyes before freezing when Poseidon sent him a lethal I'll-kill-you-later stare and whimpered.

"If Uncle P's stare is scary then you bet your ass that our little cuz will have one. They look so similar that they could be twins." Apollo commented before yelping when Poseidon blasted him with water.

"Language." Poseidon scolded his nephew. "Your baby cousin is too young to learn to cuss."

"He's asleep!" Apollo yelped.

Poseidon shrugged.

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

"A monster… great…" Poseidon whispered. "Just great…"

Inside, he was practically dying in nervousness. What monster is this Mrs. Dodds? Percy can't have that much of a bad luck that it would be someone like the Furies or Echidna wouldn't he?

'Poseidon is going to kill me.' Hades sighed as he donned on his armor and brought out his own weapon for preparation ignoring the stares coming from the others in the room.

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

"It's actually the Mist." Athena said. "And you're not misinterpreting anything. If something is odd then your instincts are right. Something did happen."

"Please just continue reading Athena and get this over with." Poseidon pleaded his niece throwing his pride away for now.

Athena looked surprised that her rival said please to her before deciding to spare the poor father and continued to read.

**I wasn't so sure.**

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

"Chiron…" Poseidon growled as he tightened his hold on his seven year old son.

Hades glanced at his younger brother and winced at the big and tight worry lines on his forehead and looked like he was going to have a heart attack. He felt some guilt about what was going to happen although he wondered how his nephew was going to survive Alecto.

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

"No she isn't little cuz." Hermes whispered as he looked at his cousin with a worried look.

"But that would have been preferable." Poseidon tightly said.

**But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

Poseidon's breath hitched and his arms tightened even more around his son who slightly whined in his sleep because he couldn't breathe before the worried sea god slightly released Percy and forced himself to relax himself.

"Think of it this way, Uncle P," Apollo tried to comfort his uncle, "if he died in the first chapter then there would be no more books or chapters to read."

"Unless he died in the last chapter." Dionysus said nonchalantly before he was blasted by icy cold water out of his throne.

"Have some tact idiot!" Demeter hissed angrily as she glanced at Poseidon worriedly.

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

"She is growling nephew." Zeus absentmindedly said as he watched with fascination the beginning of an impossible heart attack his brother was about to have.

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being along with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it…**

"She does." Hades sighed remembering the amount of rants that Alecto would have whenever she thought he was not listening.

"**You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

"Get away with what?" Athena frowned thoughtfully.

"The Lightning Bolt?" Hephaestus suggested as he finished the base of the wheelchair that he was making before beginning some more adjustments and additional features.

"Why would I care whether my nephew would have it? It would have been more plausible if he stole my helm of Darkness or I found out that he was my idiot brother's spawn." Hades wondered while everyone's eyes zoomed in on him. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You know what monster this is, don't you?" Artemis asked while Hades shrugged.

"Of course I know." Hades pleasantly said.

"Then will you tell us what she is?" Hera asked while Hades raised an eyebrow at them.

"It's in the book." Hades said. "Now let's read on before my brother decides to attack me at the wrong time or have a heart attack due to nervousness."

They all glanced at Poseidon who was viciously glaring at Hades but still looked incredibly worried at the same time.

"Man, Uncle P's really overprotective of his children." Apollo whispered to Hermes who nodded in agreement.

"Remember when he nearly destroyed an island when someone took little Triton out for a walk without informing him?" The duo shuddered at that dreadful day where their normally level headed and laidback uncle was snapping at everything that so much moves or breathes wrong.

"I heard that." Poseidon snapped at his two nephews with an evil glare.

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

"Unfortunately… that's a monster that you are talking about." Hestia said with a worried look.

**I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building.**

"Stop messing with my child, Zeus." Poseidon growled while Zeus held his hands up in defense.

"This is in the future brother." Zeus said.

"**We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

"He's really your child." Athena shook her head before being doused with water.

"**Well?" she demanded.**

"**Ma'am, I don't…"**

"**Your time is up," she hissed.**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coal. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"A Fury… you sent a Fury to my son…" Poseidon seethed but did not attack Hades, surprising everyone. "You should be thankful that I am holding my son or I would have been there beating you up, _brother_."

Hades scoffed outside but inside his mind he was breathing a sigh of relief. He has no plan on fighting his normally laidback brother who has an even worse temper than Zeus and can hold a grudge longer than him.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

"**What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

"What ho." Hermes and Apollo snickered but their eyes were on Athena as she continued on reading.

All of them wanted to know how the innocent child that was in Poseidon's lap survived his very first encounter of this monster without any training or weapon at all.

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

Poseidon was breathing heavily as he assured himself that Percy was not going to die at this chapter nor at the next chapters. That his child is currently safe in his arms and he has no wish to let go of his son for the next minutes or hours.

Zeus could see the incredible worry in his brother's face and eyes and felt sympathy for him. He too was curious as to how his nephew survived this encounter. He would never admit it but he was beginning to feel a bit of fondness for his brother's son. Hera also saw Poseidon's distress and kicked Zeus in the shin unnoticeably and gave her husband a look to comfort his brother. Zeus awkwardly patted Poseidon at the shoulders to show him that it will be alright.

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash at the air next to my ear. **

"Percy is alright, little brother." Hestia gently told Poseidon who had closed his eyes tightly.

**I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

"Wimp." Ares snorted before he was smacked at the back of his head by Aphrodite.

"Have some tact, Ares." Aphrodite sweetly said but her eyes flashed warningly. Ares gulped and nodded reluctantly.

Poseidon gave the goddess of love a nod of gratitude while Aphrodite inclined her head in return as they continued listening to the book.

**She snarled, "Die honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

The whole room gaped at the book and stared at the sleeping child in Poseidon's lap in disbelief.

"Because swinging a sword is _natural_." Demeter said incredulously.

"Incredible… this child has natural fighter instincts." Athena murmured.

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. **_**Hisss!**_

"Is he going to compare everything to your field Uncle P?" Hermes asked in amusement.

Poseidon shrugged now that the threat was gone he can slightly relax.

"Of course, he is my son." Poseidon proudly said.

**Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.**

Everyone in the room shuddered.

"That's probably what she's doing." Hades murmured. "Now she'll have a grudge to hold on your son, Poseidon."

Poseidon sent Hades a withering glare.

"I am so grateful for your wonderful words, brother." His words were practically dripping with sarcasm.

**I was alone.**

"Oh come on, don't tell me he's still allowing the Mist to affect him!" Artemis complained.

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

Hermes' eyes brightened with an idea as he opened his mouth to say something Demeter hastily interrupted him.

"No Hermes, you cannot have and use any magical mushroom." Demeter sternly said while Hermes pouted in dismay.

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

"No, Peter Johnson, everything truly happened." Dionysus drawled.

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

"Who?" Most of the people in the room asked with a blank look.

"The Mist." Athena said. "The Mist must have covered up everything."

**I said, "Who?"**

"**Our teacher. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

"He really needs to learn how to lie." Hermes murmured. "Remind me to teach that satyr how to lie."

"You will not touch my satyrs." Dionysus suddenly coldly said.

Hermes held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I won't touch your satyrs." Hermes said as the violet fire in Dionysus eyes dimmed down. "Touchy…"

The others hid their smiles at Dionysus' actions. He might deny it all he wants but he's really protective and fond of his satyrs.

"**Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

"And your dramatic uncle agrees." Hera said while Zeus huffed at her.

"I am not dramatic." Zeus said as thunder boomed in the background.

Poseidon snorted and he whispered to Hades.

"I always told all of you he should have been the god of theatrics." Poseidon muttered while Hades snorted in agreement and Hestia giggled.

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."**

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

"It still amazes me that even when everything happened so obviously some could still allow themselves to be affected by the Mist." Athena shook her head in amazement.

"**Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?"**

"**The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling alright?"**

"Now Chiron, can lie." Hermes dramatically said.

Apollo grinned at his brother before he closed his eyes and checked on his patient. He was happy to see that she was beginning to heal. If this keeps up she might be awake at the end of the second chapter or by the beginning of the third one. Although, there is still that dilemma of trying to find a way to help her communicate since using her throat is a very large "NO" for now. He doesn't need to worry about her walking since he can always ask Hephaestus to make a wheelchair for her.

"Earth to my idiot brother! Hermes is going to begin reading the next chapter although I am pretty surprised that he is capable of reading." Artemis dryly said while Hermes threw her a wounded look.

"Oi! That wasn't nice! I am the god of messengers you know. Of course I can read!" Hermes said with an offended look.

"I was just checking up on our little guest, sis." Apollo cheerfully said. "She might be awake by the end of the second chapter or the beginning of the third one."

"She's pretty fast at healing." Hera said.

"It must be because future me blessed her. I could sense my blessings on her." Apollo said. "I must have been aware that she would need my blessings."

"I still wonder who her godly parent is…" Poseidon murmured.

They all paused thinking of who in this room would be her parent. But then Athena sighed and handed Artemis the book.

"It's no use dwelling on it for now. The writer made it very clear that we will find out when the time is right. The only thing we could do for now is find out what is happening in the next few years." Athena said while everyone agreed.

Artemis opened the book and began to read the next chapter.

**Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death**

"Oh… what are you getting into this time Percy?" Poseidon groaned despairingly as he asked the still asleep child on his lap.

"Deal with it brother. You and your spawns are magnets for trouble." Hades dryly said.

"Thank you," Poseidon growled as he tried not to think of worse trouble that his son would be getting into. "For that wonderful comment brother."

"You're very much welcome, little brother." Hades smirked at the withering glare Poseidon sent him.

Artemis shook her head at her two uncles before she read the beginning of the second chapter.

0-0-0-0-0

Word Count: 9,156

Finished: July 1, 2013


End file.
